A Forum for Orthodox Jewish thought on Halacha, Hashkafa, and the social issues of our time.

Monday, July 02, 2012

Matisyahu’s Spiritual Journey

I am not a fan of ‘Matisyahu’. Not because of anything
personal. I just don’t like reggae music. But I am a fan of the man himself - increasingly
so. For those who have just returned from a lengthy trip to Mars, Matisyahu is
a Grammy nominated international singing star who also happens to be an observant
Jew.

Until very recently that he was religious was obvious by the
way he looked. With his long beard and long Peyos; Tzitzis hanging out; and
large black Kipa on his head, his look was unmistakably Jewish – or better described - Charedi.

If I recall correctly, his search for spirituality somehow led
him to Chabad and indeed he became a Lubavitcher Chasid. After he was “discovered”
and presented on various TV programs hosted by some famous celebrities his fame
sky-rocketed.

Over the last 10 years since he has hit the national scene -
he has maintained the look of a Chasid while selling millions of records (CDs)
- singing his reggae songs the lyrics of which were mostly spiritual and – if I
understand correctly - based on the Kabbalistic
concepts of Chasidus.

Although I am not a Chasid and do not study Kabbalah, I
nevertheless thought that he was a great role model for young people – showing that
one can climb the heights of success even in the field of popular music and still be
observant. So I admired him for that and have been kind of following his career
– even though I am not a reggae fan.

But earlier this year he did something that made many of his
religious Jewish fans think that he might just have gone OTD. He shaved off his
beard. For those who are not familiar with Chabad, they consider it a religious
requirement for men to grow their beards in full. They consider it Halachicly
forbidden to shave off a beard, or even to trim it. So when he did this, I felt
that he may have just decided to chuck it all.

But thank God I was wrong. He is still observant according
to an article in Aish.com where he has given an exclusive interview.

What changed is not his observance, but his blind belief in
the stringencies he had taken upon himself. He is apparently a critical thinker
and has decided that those stringencies do not define his Judaism. The
interview is a very worthwhile read and as Aish.com describes it “in many ways
typifies the odyssey that so many go through on their path toward a Torah
observant life”.

I don’t know what the future holds for Matisyahu. He is
apparently still searching for the truths of Judaism and trying to understand
them as he encounters them. But isn’t that what we should all be doing?

That said sometimes a search like this can lead a person astray
without the proper foundation and guidance. My hope is that he continues to
examine what is Emes and what is Sheker; what is the ‘wheat’ of Judaism and
what is the ‘chaff’. And that he finds
the right path that will help him better understand those truths. God bless him
on his continuing journey.

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About Me

My outlook on Judaism is based mostly on the teachings of my primary Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik from whom I received my rabbinic ordination. It is also based on a search for spiritual truth. Among the various sources that put me on the right path, two great philosophic works stand out: “Halakhic Man” and “Lonely Man of Faith” authored by the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher and theologian, Rabbi, Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Of great significance is Rabbi, Dr. Norman Lamm's conceptualization and models of Torah U’Mada and Dr. Eliezer Berkovits who introduced me to the world of philosophic thought. Among my early influences were two pioneers of American Elementary Torah Chinuch, Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Yaakov Levi. The Yeshivos I attended were Yeshivas Telshe for early high school and more significantly, the Hebrew Theological College where for a period of ten years, my Rebbeim included such great Rabbinic figures as Rabbis Mordechai Rogov, Shmaryahu Meltzer, Yaakov Perlow, Herzl Kaplan, and Selig Starr. I also attended Roosevelt University where I received my Bachelor's Degree - majoring in Psychology.